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National Cancer Institute U.S. National Institutes of Health www.cancer.gov
Nutritional Epidemiology Branch
Major Research Studies
  • The Alpha-Tocopherol, Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention (ATBC) Study was a cancer prevention trial conducted by NCI and the National Institute for Health and Welfare of Finland from 1985 to 1993. The purpose of the study was to determine whether certain vitamin supplements would prevent lung cancer and other cancers in a group of 29,133 male smokers in Finland. Participants have been followed since 1993 to evaluate the long-term effects of the vitamins on cancer incidence, and on overall and cause-specific mortality.
  • The primary purpose of the Colorectal Neoplasia Screening with Colonoscopy in Asymptomatic Women at Regional Navy/Army Medical Centers (CONCeRN) study is to determine the extent to which advanced neoplastic lesions will be missed if clinicians only perform sigmoidoscopies rather than full colonoscopies as a screening procedure and to resolve current debate about the significance of sigmoidoscopy for the detection of single, small, tubular ademonas.
  • India Cohort Feasibility Study - This pilot study will be conducted in five regions of India to assess the feasibility of establishing a prospective cohort. The diversity in dietary intake and also demographic, life-style and environmental factors offers a tremendous opportunity for epidemiologic studies of cancer and other chronic diseases. For more information contact Rashmi Sinha.
  • The NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study was developed at NCI to improve our understanding of the relationship between diet and health. The study was conducted among members of the AARP aged 50-71 years in areas of the U.S. A total of 500,000 people filled out and returned the initial study questionnaire containing questions on diet and lifestyle questions, making it the largest study of diet and health ever conducted. Follow-up questionnaires on topics such as risk factors are mailed out periodically.
  • The Nutrition Intervention Trials were launched in 1985 as randomized controlled trials which tested the effects of multiple vitamin and mineral interventions on total mortality and total and cause-specific cancer mortality in a rural Chinese population. The intervention ended in 1991, but the cohort continues under active follow-up. To date, we have accrued almost 3500 esophageal squamous cell carcinoma cases and over 2500 gastric adenocarcinoma cases among the original 32,902 subjects.

Other studies include: